Resilient mount for hermetic motor compressor units



March 1968 c. F. ENGLEMAN ETAL 3,

RESILIENT MOUNT FOR HERMETIC MOTOR COMPRESSOR UNITS Filed July 1, 1966 26 i 7 n INVENTORS l CHESTER F ENGLEMAN L A V m.

E BY5ALFRED e. BUTSCH THEHZ ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,374,945 RESILIENT MOUNT FOR HERMETIC MOTOR COMPRESSOR UNITS Chester F. Engleman and Alfred G. Butsch, Louisville,

Ky., assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed July 1, 1966, Ser. No. 562,366 2 Claims. (Cl. 230-235) The present invention relates to hermetic motor compressor units and is more particularly concerned with an improved mounting arrangement for supporting such units.

Hermetic motor compressor units,'such as those used in the refrigeration industry comprises a compressor and a motor for driving the compressor contained within a hermetically sealed casing. In the application of such units to household refrigerator cabinets and the like, it is desirable to provide resilient support means for supporting units on the cabinet frame in such a manner as to protect the unit against damage during handling or shipping of the cabinet and also absorb normal operating vibrations of the unit.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and low cost means for resiliently supporting a hermetic compressor unit on a supporting frame, which means eliminates the necessity of special shipping holddown bolts or the like for protection of the unit during shipping and handling thereof and also minimizes noise transmission from the unit to the supporting frame during operation thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved means for resiliently mounting on a supporting frame a sealed hermetic motor-compressor unit having an oil coo-ling tube extending outwardly from the casing.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

In accordance with the illustrated embodiment of the invention there is provided a supporting frame including spaced first and second support members forming part of a refrigerator cabinet. The casing component of a hermetic compressor unit including an oil cooling tube extending horizontally from one side of the casing is resiliently and pivotally supported on one of the supporting members for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis and the oil tube component is supported on the second support member by means of a generally hairpin shaped spring wire member including spaced legs connected by a return bend portion. The end portions of the legs are rigidly secured in horizontally spaced relationship to the outer end of the oil tube while the loop or return bend portion is rigidly secured to the second support member. For the purpose of absorbing shipping and handling shocks and snubbing vibrational movement of the hermetic compressor unit during operation thereof, each of the legs is formed to provide a vertical coiled section.

For a better understanding of the invention reference is made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of a refrigerator cabinet illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 illustrating the improved mounting means of the present invention; and

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken generally along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

With reference to the drawing and particularly to Patented Mar. 26, 1968 FIGURE 1 thereof there is shown the lower portion of a refrigerator cabinet including an outer shell 1 the lower part of which includes a rear support member 2 and a front support member 3 spaced from the rear member on which is supported a hermetic compressor unit 4 forming part of a refrigeration system for maintaining a storage compartment at refrigerating temperatures. The illustrated hermetic compressor unit, which is of the type shown for example in Patent 2,776,547King et al. includes a hermetic or sealed casing 5 containing a compressor 6 driven by a motor 7 through a horizontal shaft component 8. The bottom portion of the casing 5 forms a sump containing a body of lubricant (not shown) for lubricating the compressor, this body of lubricant being cooled by circulation through a generally U-shaped oil cooling tube 9 extending horizontally from the bottom portion of the casing 5 and having its inner open ends 10 rigidly connected to and communicating with the interior of the casing 5.

During operation of the motor-compressor unit and particularly during the starting and stopping of the compressor, the motor-compressor component supported within the casing and hence the casing and associated oil cooler tube 9 have a rotational vibratory movement about the axis of the shaft '8. In order to dampen these vibrations and to minimize the noise transmission from the compressor unit to the cabinet frame the hermetic compressor unit 4 is resiliently supported on the front and rear support members 2 and 3. More specifically the casing 5 is supported on the rear support member 2 by two coaxial resilient bushing structures 12, only one of which is shown. Each of these structures includes a cup 14 mounted on the rear support member 2, the cup 14 containing a rubber grommet or bushing 15 adapted to receive a pin 16 extending from a bracket 17 rigidly secured to the casing 5. These bushing structures 14 substantially limit any movement of the casing 5 excepting rotational movement thereof in a vertical plane about the axis of the pins 16. They also serve to minimize noise transmission from the casing to the cabinet frame through the area of the rear support 2.

In accordance with the present invention additional resilient shock absorbing and noise damping means for supporting the hermetic compressor unit on the cabinet frame comprises a generally hairpin or U-shaped relatively heavy spring wire member 19 secured to and bridging the space between the forward or return bend portion Not the oil cooler tube 9 and the front support member 3. More specifically this member 19 comprises a pair of spaced apart legs 20 connected by a return bend 21. The ends 22 of the legs 20 are rigidly secured to the tube 9 by means of a bracket 23 welded to the tube. This bracket includes a channel-shaped portion 26 extending forwardly from the tube 9 and adapted to receive the ends 22 of the member 19. These ends are clamped in horizontally spaced relation within the channel portion 26 by means of a plate 27 adapted to ride within the channel portion 26 and to be secured thereto by means of a bolt 29. The forward or return bend portion 21 of the member 19, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, is bent at right angles to main leg portions 20 so that it extends downwardly over the front of the support 3 and is secured to this support by means of a screw 30.

The member 19 is formed of a spring wire having sufficient strength or rigidity to normally support the oil cooler tube component 9 of the compressor unit in a substantially horizontal position. In order that this support means 19 will resiliently resist the normal shocks encountered during shipping and handling of the refrigerator cabinet and also minimize the transmission of normal operating noises from the compressor to the frame,

each of the legs 20 are formed to include a coiled spring portion 32 each of which includes a plurality of turns or coils 33 disposed in a horizontal plane or in other words coiled about a vertical axis.

Whereas the usual noise damping mounting means for mounting a hermetic compressor unit within the refrigerator cabinet includes resilient r rubber-like bushings of the type employed for mounting the casing on the rear support member 2, it has been found that the spring member 19 including the coil portions 32 effectively resists the transmission of normal operating noises from the compressor component to the cabinet frame without the use of any resilient or rubber-like bushings or isolators. Furthermore, the coils 32 effectively absorb the abnormal shocks to which the cabinet and hence the compressor unit may be subjected during shipping or handling of the cabinet so that no special shipping bolts or other anchoring means frequently employed for rigidly securing the hermetic compressor unit to the frame for shipping purposes are required. However, to be effective for the purpose of absorbing or minimizing shipping or handling shocks, it has been found that it is essential that the coils 32 be in horizontal rather than vertical planes as this arrangement of the coils 32 appears to increase the shock absorbing capacity of the member 19. The invention also provides a low cost means for bridging the space between the oil cooler tube 9 and the front support member 3 with means for maintaining or balancing the unit 5 in a position in which the oil cooler tube 9 is supported in a substantially horizontal position.

While the invention has been described with reference to the particular embodiment thereof it is to be understood that it is not limited thereto and is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination:

a supporting frame including spaced first and second support members,

a hermetic compressor unit comprising a sealed casing positioned adjacent said first support member and an elongated member rigidly connected to and extending substantially horizontally and outwardly from one side of said casing towards said second support member with the outer end thereof spaced from said second support member,

a motor-compressor disposed within said casing and including a compressor and a motor connected to said compressor by a drive shaft disposed for rotation about a horizontal axis substantially perpendicular to said oil cooling tube,

resilient support means for pivotally supporting said casing on said first support member,

and means for resiliently supporting said unit on said second support member comprising a generally hairpin shaped spring wire including spaced legs connected by a return bend portion,

means for rigidly securing the end portions of said legs to said outer end of said elongated member and means for rigidly securing said return bend portion to said second support member,

an intermediate portion of each of said legs being formed to provide a shock and vibration absorbing substantially vertical coiled section.

2. In combination:

a supporting frame including spaced first and second support members,

a hermetic compressor unit comprising a sealed casing positioned adjacent said first support member and having an oil sump therein and an oil cooling tube connected to and extending substantially horizontally and outwardly from one side of said casing towards said second support member with the outer end thereof spaced from said second support member,

a motor-compressor located within said casing and including a compressor and a motor connected to said compressor by a drive shaft disposed for rotation about a horizontal axis substantially perpendicular to said oil cooling tube,

resilient support means for pivotally supporting said casing on said first support member and permitting vibrational movement of said unit about an axis parallel to said shaft axis during starting and stopping of said motor-compressor component,

and means for supporting said unit on said second support member comprising a generally U-shaped, horizontally extending spring wire member including spaced legs connected by a return bend portion,

means for rigidly securing the end portions of said legs in horizontally spaced relation to said outer end of said oil tube and means for rigidly securing said return bend portion to said second support member,

an intermediate portion of each of said legs being formed to provide a substantial vertical coiled section comprising a plurality of coils for absorbing and snubbing said vibrational movement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT M. WALKER, Primary Examiner, 

1. IN COMBINATION: A SUPPORTING FRAME INCLUDING SPACED FIRST AND SECOND SUPPORT MEMBERS, A HERMETIC COMPRESSOR UNIT COMPRISING A SEALED CASING POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID FIRST SUPPORT MEMBER AND AN ELONGATED MEMBER RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY AND OUTWARDLY FROM ONE SIDE OF SAID CASING TOWARDS SAID SECOND SUPPORT MEMBER WITH THE OUTER END THEREOF SPACED FROM SAID SECOND SUPPORT MEMBER, A MOTOR-COMPRESSOR DISPOSED WITHIN SAID CASING AND INCLUDING A COMPRESSOR AND A MOTOR CONNECTED TO SAID COMPRESSOR BY A DRIVE SHAFT DISPOSED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID OIL COOLING TUBE, RESILIENT SUPPORT MEANS FOR PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING SAID CASING ON SAID FIRST SUPPORT MEMBER, AND MEANS FOR RESILIENTLY SUPPORTING SAID UNIT ON SAID SECOND SUPPORT MEMBER COMPRISING A GENERALLY HAIRPIN SHAPED SPRING WIRE INCLUDING SPACED LEGS CONNECTED BY A RETURN BEND PORTION, MEANS FOR RIGIDLY SECURING THE END PORTIONS OF SAID LEGS TO SAID OUTER END OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER AND MEANS FOR RIGIDLY SECURING SAID RETURN BEND PORTION TO SAID SECOND SUPPORT MEMBER, AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF EACH OF SAID LEGS BEING FORMED TO PROVIDE A SHOCK AND VIBRATION ABSORBING SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL COILED SECTION. 